The Death of Jason Todd
by Katie Trillion
Summary: As I'm sure you know, in the infamous Death In The Family storyline, Jason Todd was captured by the Joker, beaten via crowbar, and finally locked in a bomb-laced warehouse and killed. In this version, we're going to make the scene longer. Make the Joker more evil, make Jason suffer properly. This is written as a comic/film script, so please give me some feedback on what you think!


The Death of Jason Todd

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Format: Comic Book/ Film Script

Inspired by: A Death In The Family comic and film adaptation and the Arkham Knight game.

**Author's Note: **CAP. **is an abbreviation of **Caption**.**

* * *

We open in a darkened room. Boxes and piles of crates loom up around us, and the only light in the room – a light bulb hanging from the ceiling – wavers and flickers, casting deep shadows across the room.

In the centre of the circle is a young man seated in a chair, his hands cuffed behind him. He has black hair and skin that looks pale and sallow in the low light. He's wearing a red costume. We zoom in on the stylised yellow R on the costume's chest.

There's a sudden noise in the dark. The boy raises his head, but slowly, as though he's tired or groggy.

JASON: Batman?

JASON: Are you there?

Suddenly Joker strides out of the dark. We get a good look at the makeup smudged across his features – he looks even more insane as the light swings across his face.

JOKER: (taunting) He's not coming, Jason my boy.

Joker hunkers down and stares Jason straight in the eyes.

JOKER: (whispers) _He's not coming. _

Jason is obviously frightened. The light illuminates his face again – he's even paler.

JOKER: Do you want to know what's going to happen, Jason?

Joker straightens up, and begins to stride in circles around Jason, exuberant. He begins to declaim, gesturing dramatically:

JOKER: (loud, dramatic) Jason Todd is twelve years old when he's recruited by _Batman _off the streets of Gotham. His parents are dead, he's got no future and he's been slowly beaten down by society. Then Batman finds him, he's trained as Robin, and fights _crime. _

Joker pauses, staring at Jason again, before continuing to stride around him.

JOKER: (gesticulating wildly now, becoming more and more excited) And now he's here! In the cold, in the dark…

Joker pauses dramatically. He's in front of Jason again. He gets in Jason's face and says:

JOKER: … with _me. _

Jason spits in Joker's face, and Joker reels back, but he's laughing. There's a snarl of defiance on Jason's face – he's not broken yet.

JASON: (shouting) Screw you!

JOKER: (laughing, almost spluttering with mirth) N-Now that's just _rude. _The other sidekicks had some manners, but _you_?

Joker turns away from Jason, and rummages in a box. While he's distracted, Jason begins to yank at the handcuffs, scraping the legs of his chair against the floor. He manages to tip the chair sideways, and he hits the floor hard.

Joker turns. The swinging light bulb catches the crowbar he's holding, sending a long shadow across Joker's face.

Joker steps forward. Jason attempts to scramble backwards across the floor, the chair scraping against tile. We get a close shot of his face – he's utterly terrified now.

The sound of the chair scraping on the floor almost obscures Joker's next few words.

JOKER: (triumphant) You've been a very bad boy, Jason.

Close on Joker's face. An expression of intense, maddened glee transforms his face, twisting his features.

JOKER: I'm here to teach you a lesson!

As he advances towards Jason, who is almost out of sight, his form is swallowed by the darkness.

JASON: (screaming, almost begging) No! No, please! Please stop!

Jason's sobbing echoes back through the dark.

* * *

It's later. The light has grown dimmer. It illuminates Jason, lying on the floor, still cuffed to the splintered remains of the chair. There's a bloody crowbar lying next to him.

Jason's body is limp. His breathing is weak, soft wheezing. He coughs, his body shudders, and blood trickles down his chin.

JOKER: (from the dark) What's that, my boy?

He emerges from the shadows. Jason jerks as another cough wracks his body and blood flies from his mouth, from either a punctured lung or internal bleeding.

Joker leans down and grabs Jason's chin, pushing his face upwards so that he's forced to stare into Joker's face.

JOKER: (softly) How long do you think you've been here, Jason? Hours? Days?

Jason doesn't answer. He genuinely doesn't know.

JOKER: Do you think he's going to come? Do you really think that _Batman _is going to save _you_?

Jason's eyes widen. Up till now he's been sure that Batman will come, but now – lying beaten and broken on the floor – Jason is beginning to doubt him.

JASON: I…

Joker lets go of his chin and Jason slumps back.

JOKER: (faking concern) Go on, dear, don't be scared to tell Uncle Joker…

JASON: (desperately, almost screaming) He's going to come!

Jason is nearly crying now.

JASON: (softer) He will come… he will…

JOKER: Jason, my boy, don't cry!

Joker crouches down next to Jason.

JOKER: How about I tell you a story, okay?

Jason stares at him, faintly incredulous.

Joker reaches into his pocket. We can't see what he pulls out.

JOKER: Do you want to know how I got these scars?

The light catches on the razor in his hand. The knife isn't long, but it's sharp. Joker's smile is reflected in the blade.

JASON: N-No –

Jason tries to get away, but he can't move far without causing himself incredible agony. Joker bends closer, pressing the razor to the side of Jason's mouth.

JOKER: Just – like – _this_!

Close on Jason's eyes again – they're wide and terrified.

Blood trickles from Jason's mouth as Joker puts more and more pressure on the blade.

We see Jason's eye reflected in the metal as Joker begins to drag the blade upwards – he doesn't want this to be quick.

Jason's single scream, distorted by the knife in his mouth, echoes around the warehouse.

* * *

Jason isn't screaming anymore. He can barely make a sound. Close on his face, so we can clearly see the two deep cuts that extend from each side of his mouth to his cheekbones in a grotesque smile. Dried blood cakes his face.

JOKER: That's the spirit, Jason!

Joker begins to sing softly.

JOKER: Pack up your troubles in your old kit bag and smile, smile, smile…

Jason is struggling to speak. He knows that even attempting to do so will hurt, aggravating the fresh gashes. But eventually he manages to speak.

JASON: Why…

JOKER: What's that, my boy? Speak up!

JASON: Why… why are you… doing this?

Joker's smile grows wider. He brandishes the bloody razor in a flamboyant, triumphant gesture.

JOKER: (indignant) To prove a point, of course! You see, Jason, this isn't my fault, or at least, indirectly not my fault. This is _Batman's _fault! He made you Robin, endangered your life countless times – seriously, Jason, can you really pin _all _of this on little old _me_?

JOKER: And you'd almost think he _wanted _this to happen – after all, has he burst in, knocked me out and, and saved you yet?

JASON: (weakly) He will come…

Jason knows that he's just repeating himself, and is just temporarily reinforcing the thin barrier that is stopping his fear from overwhelming him.

Joker's face contorts into a snarl.

JOKER: You're _still _repeating yourself?

He advances towards Jason again. The knife in his hand is shaking. Joker tears the mask away from Jason's face and flings it to the floor.

Joker rips open the front of Jason's costume, showing us how fragile the costume is compared to Batman's – it's literally like tissue paper.

Joker carves letters into Jason's chest – not slowly, but with quick sharp slashes that cut deep. He's furious now, unpredictable, out of control.

We get a close shot of Jason's ruined flesh, and see what he's written, in jagged, bloody capitals: HA HA HA! JOKE'S ON YOU BATMAN! (a reference to Suicide Squad's vandalised Robin costume).

Jason is limp by the end. He's passed out – really it's a miracle that he hasn't done so already. Joker looks down at him, seeming disdainful and disappointed.

JOKER: Hmph. Well, it's been fun, my boy. Shame you couldn't take it in the end.

Joker turns away, shaking his head as if he feels sorry.

As Joker walks away, he crushes Jason's mask under his heel. The broken pieces glisten in the light.

JOKER: Such a shame…

The door closes behind him with a _clang_, plunging the warehouse into almost complete darkness.

A soft, constant _beep_-_beep_-_beep _starts up. We zoom close to Jason's face.

CAP. : (Jason's thoughts) It's so cold…

CAP. : Can't… think…

CAP. : Hurts so… much…

Jason's eyes open slightly. His eyes widen as he hears the _beep_-_beep-beep_. Slowly, wincing, he turns his head. Above him is a red digital timer, slowly ticking down. At the moment, it reads 0:42… 0:41… 0:40…

CAP. : No… please, God, no…

Jason can't move. Can barely breathe. Every time he takes a shallow breath, the cuts on his chest and torso open a little wider. Blood coats the floor around him. He's helpless.

CAP. : He…

A singe tear falls from Jason's eye. We see it fall in slow motion to the floor and blood swirls through it.

CAP. : He won't…

The ticking timer is in the tens now. Single digits. Seven. Six.

CAP. : He won't come…

The bomb detonates. The warehouse explodes outwards. We see Jason thrown across the room and buried under a pile of burning crates.

* * *

We cut to Batman, driving up to the warehouse n a motorbike. As soon as he reaches the apex of the hill the warehouse is situated on, the house explodes outwards, knocking him off and flinging him backwards. We see the bike fall on its side before cutting to Batman, who is struggling to his feet.

BATMAN: (softly) God…

He begins to search through the wreckage, but it isn't long before he finds a boy's hand sticking out from beneath a pile of charred wood. Batman scrabbles at the pile, throwing bits of wood everywhere.

The sight of Jason's face makes him gasp in horror as he pulls the last burnt plank aside.

BATMAN: Jason…

Batman sinks to his knees.

BATMAN: I'm sorry…

Jason is sprawled on his back, his costume bloody, burnt rags. His body was burnt on one side as he was thrown back by the blast. His head is facing towards Batman, so that the ghastly smile seems directed at him.

BATMAN: I'm so sorry…

* * *

_I remember tears streaming down your face when I said I'll never let you go  
When all those shadows almost killed your light  
I remember you said don't leave me here alone  
But all that's dead and gone and passed tonight_

_Just close your eyes, the sun is going down  
You'll be alright, no one can hurt you now  
Come morning light, you and I'll be safe and sound_

_Safe and Sound, _by Taylor Swift

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**Thanks for reading! Please ****review!**

**Katie Trillion xx**


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